A couple of weeks ago I experimented with a standing desk, which meant dragging my monitors onto a shelf, putting my keyboard up higher and generally shuffling my desk about. It wasn't to be a permanent solution, but more to see if I thought it would be worth getting a permanent setup.
The first couple of days were pretty painful, it's been a while since I've stood up all day, but after a weekend I was feeling good. I felt like I had a lot more focus and didn't waste as much time on facebook and twitter, which was nice to feel that I was getting more done. I think it's also great for programmers, as pair programming would work well as opposed to having a corner sitting desk (which is what I currently work at), allowing better access to swap the keyboard and improved screen visibility.
Unfortunately my wrists weren't a big fan of the awkward position that I'd placed my keyboard in - without a solid desk to rest on they just started to flare up. So, I'm back sitting down waiting for my wrists to recover, and hopefully get my desk setup properly.
If you're interested in standing desks, Lifehacker is a great place to check out to start with.
Do you have a non-standard workplace? How did you make it happen? Does your workplace encourage you to work in a way that helps you work best, or do they want you to just sit there and stick to the standard way of doing things?
Mine's non standard because I'm a minimalist. I think everyone feels a need to comment on it frequently as they walk by. The desk is completely bare except for the laptop, a secondary monitor, and two mood lamps. I'd eliminate the phone, too, if they'd let me. The rest of my office contains nothing. There's a garbage bucket that someone put there, but nothing ever goes in it. I've printed one piece of paper in 10 months, and only because I was told to.
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